How to Get Control of Your Email Inbox

Email Notifications

Email notifications are the no. 1 productivity killer. Studies have shown that every time we are interrupted by events like an email notification, it takes us 90 seconds to recover and return to the task at hand. Considering that the average person manages over 100 emails per day, this really adds up. What's more, 40 percent of the time when we are interrupted, we fail to complete the interrupted task.

When you let every email that arrives in your inbox interrupt you, you destroy your productivity, which is why setting up dedicated blocks of time to check emails is key. To regain and maintain your focus, turn off notifications everywhere you receive email, including on your smartphone, tablet and computer. If you're really ready to take it to the next level, remove the email app from your phone entirely.

Email has been likened to zombies: The more you delete (or kill), the more come to get you. Just about every professional today struggles to stay on top of email. According to a McKinsey study, U.S. employees spend 28 percent of their workweek on email, and research from the University of California, Irvine indicates that email overload can elevate stress levels and reduce focus. Add in the chaos of the modern inbox and important messages can easily get lost in the shuffle -- only 6 to 7 percent of emails actually receive a response.

Email is an integral part of working, but for far too many workers, it hurts rather than helps their productivity. They spend so much time communicating that it is difficult to get into a flow and get actual work done. Keeping email overload at bay and optimizing your inbox requires honing specific skills and developing a strategy so you control your email, rather than letting it control you.

In the following slideshow, SaneBox has identified six tips for overcoming email overload, achieving inbox zero, and boosting your productivity.

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